George Foster
Pearson took making dial plate talking boards
seriously as you can see by the two oak beauties
on this page. Presumably the spirits found them
equally attractive. The Cablegraph, patented in
1900, resembled a horseshoe magnet because
Pearson felt that magnetism had everything to do
with contacting the other side. That wood is not
magnetic didn't matter. It was animal
magnetism—that ethereal fluid that flows
mysteriously through the bodies of living beings
that was important. Using that magnetic force you
could power the board and thus contact the dead.
Or, so he claimed.

These instruments
were close relatives of earlier Pease-Hare dial
plate talking boards with several design
improvements. Pearson connected the touch pad to
the needle dial with a lever and gears rather
than the pulley and rope of the earlier models.
This made the action smooth and effortless. He
spent more time in the wood shop than with the
typewriter however, and after reading his
rambling, run-on instructions on the back of the
board, one can't help but think that he may have
been drinking his spirits rather than contacting
them. This is exactly as he wrote them, word for
word:

The
Cablegraph

An
instrument for communication between
the world we now live in and the world
we live in after the change called
Death.

DIRECTIONS
FOR USING

After
seating yourself in a comfortable
position where you can allow free use
of your hands and arms. Place the
instrument in your lap or upon a table
and upon the circular top place the
ends of your fingers lightly having the
free use of the arms and shoulder
muscles relaxed and with the thoughts
in mind explain that you would be
pleased to hear from someone over there
and sit in that position from 5 to 10
minutes, if it should not start try one
hand. It has to be magnetized, if it
should not start then have some other
person put their hands on the points of
fingers and so operate until you find
the one who will assist you (if you
have not the power alone) to operate
it. When once you find the ones to
operate it, the rest comes of itself,
through itself be patient and not bring
too doubtful conditions as conditions
have a great influence in the operating
of the Cablegraph, when once you have
found the right magnetic force for
operating, then ask questions and ask
for your friends to be brought in
contact with you and the machine and
use your best judgment as to the fact
of their communication. Evenings at the
twilight hour is the best time to
receive messages.

George
F. Pearson, Inventor and Manf'r
27 Loring Street, Lowell, Mass

In 1919, Pearson
introduced an "improved" Cablegraph which he
called the "Wander Board." A modified horseshoe
shape was now incorporated into the design. If
your magnetism was low and you couldn't contact
the spirits, at least you could have fun trying
as he stated in his new patent: "The invention
has relation to devices operated or controlled by
the hand or finger pressure, whereby messages are
conveyed from the spirit world to the operator.
Of course irrespective of the use of this
instrument to aid or act as a medium in the
transmission of spirit messages, it is useful as
an amusement device. It is quite generally
acknowledged nowadays however that communications
with the spirit world are possible and not
infrequent." The directions printed on the back
of the Wander Board were now slightly more
coherent.

DIRECTIONS
for the Cablegraph or Wander
Board

To
operate, lay the board on your lap or
on a table. Place the tips of your
fingers lightly on the disc, or
sensitive key. You may then ask
questions audibly or mentally, and the
spirit impulse will cause the disc to
move to the right or left, bringing the
hand or pointer in registration with
the required letter, number or phrase
to spell out or convey the
message.

For the
majority of people, the Cablegraph will
establish communications with the Great
Unknown in a very few minutes, and
furnish the most astonishing answers,
facts and advice. Other persons require
a longer sitting, but persevere and the
Cablegraph will finally please,
surprise and mystify you.

The
Cablegraph will operate equally well
when two persons place their fingers on
the disc, provided the question is
asked by only one of the sitters at a
time, to prevent confusion.